Driver voices concerns over ‘dangerous’ Washington road

WARNING: John McMahon at the scene of an accident at the junction of the A182 Washington Highway and the A195 Western Highway, where he too had a crash earlier this year. Below, another crash at the same spot on Monday

A DRIVER has voiced safety concerns about a Washington road after another accident.

John McMahon, 59, lost control of his Vauxhall Vectra near the junction of the A182 Washington Highway and the A195 Western Highway on the morning of July 5, ploughing through the central reservation and ending up on the opposite carriageway.

Police attending an accident at the juction of the A182 Washington Highway and the A195 Western Highway, on Monday afternoon.

While he was waiting for a recovery truck he said he watched in horror as a second car crashed nearby, just 20 minutes later.

But on Monday, as he passed the scene of his accident, he was shocked to come across a two-vehicle collision in virtually the same spot.

Two cars, Renault Megane and a Ford Focus, had crashed shortly before 2.45pm.

A man in his fifties was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, and enquiries are ongoing.

Mr McMahon, a grandfather-of-four who lives in Barmston with wife Evelyn, 56, faced a repair bill of £3,000 after his accident in the summer.

He now thinks something should be done to improve safety of the road, where he claims there have been numerous accidents.

“I think it’s the layout of the junction that’s the problem,” he said. “This is not on the roundabout, it’s on a straight stretch of road. The camber dips to the left then sways over and dips to the right.

“Even if they just put anti-skid stuff on the road like they have on the A19, or put up a crash barrier to stop cars careering through the central reservation like I did, it would make it less dangerous.

“There has been accident after accident.

“I ended up on the wrong side of the central reservation, I was very lucky that the road wasn’t busy at the time.”

Despite his concerns, council officials said they had not received any complaints about the stretch of road.

A Sunderland City Council spokesman said: “There has been one incident recorded on this stretch of road in the last five years and we have not received any recent complaints or concerns about road surface or visibility.”

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